Blue White Illustrated

This coming season, that mix will in- clude returning starters Marcus Allen and Malik Golden, as well as Troy Apke, Koa Farmer and redshirt freshmen Jarvis Miller, Ayron Monroe and John Petr- ishen. The Nittany Lions have lost only one safety to graduation in Jordan Lucas. But they will lose Golden after the 2016 season, while Allen and Apke are set to depart after the 2017 campaign. Scott, meanwhile, has three years of eligibility remaining. So far, Scott's move is the only off- season position change that has been announced. However, there has been speculation about whether the offense might be in position to loan the defense another player. The Nittany Lions are thin up front following the departure of defensive tackles Austin Johnson, Anthony Zettel and Tarow Barney. The team has only two experienced players returning at the one- and three-technique spots in Park- er Cothren and Antoine White, and al- though the coaching staff signed four defensive tackles in its most recent re- cruiting class, including two juco prospects in Tyrell Chavis and Brenon Thrift, the absence of any real depth has given rise to talk that the staff might end up shifting an offensive lineman over to defense. The Lions are starting to build some depth along their offensive line, with highly regarded prospects Ryan Bates, Steven Gonzalez and Sterling Jenkins coming off redshirt years. Moreover, two of their current linemen – Brian Gaia and Derek Dowrey – started their ca- reers on defense. However, as of early February, the coaches hadn't shifted any of their per- sonnel over to defense. "Not as of yet," Smith said. "We haven't moved anyone yet." ■ you get the playbook, make sure you get in the playbook. Still work out. Work out 10 times harder, because you've got to get yourself prepared to play at this level. When you get here, it's going to be a humbling experi- ence." That humbling experience, he went on to explain, stemmed in part from his incomplete un- derstanding of the playbook, which wasn't as easy to grasp as he had initially thought. Said Barkley, "I thought I had the playbook down, and I would get into games and I still was struggling here and there with little stuff." Barkley's reminiscences might not have been the most intriguing portion of the short interview, however. Coming off an eye-opening season in which he established himself as one of the standouts on an offense that struggled mightily, he is now fo- cused on improving in several very specific areas. "I want to get faster. I felt like there were a couple of times where I could have broken longer runs, but I didn't have that next level, that next gear. So that's something I'm really focusing on," he said. "And my pass blocking is something I really struggled with. I mean, everyone saw. That's some- thing I really struggled with, so I just want to be a complete back all around." Whether or not Barkley is able to make those improvements will hinge heavily on the work he's putting in with his Nittany Lion teammates un- der the direction of strength and con- ditioning coordinator Dwight Galt. The team's official winter workout pe- riod is well under way, and while Barkley acknowledged how difficult his first session was, he is determined to power through. "I feel like I'm getting stronger and faster, but it's also another humbling experience," he said. "We just started winter workouts yesterday, and for me that was something new. I had a hard time, but I'll get it right and I'll adjust to it." – NATE BAUER Kickoff time set for spring game The Blue-White Game will re- turn to its customary time slot, as this year's intrasquad contest is set to kick off at 2 p.m. April 16 at Beaver Stadium. The game, which will give fans their first glimpse of Joe Moorhead's new offense, is the centerpiece of a full weekend of activities set for April 15-17. The game will air live on the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com but will not be televised live. More details on the Blue-White Weekend will be announced in the coming weeks. The game is the university's un- official annual spring reunion. Last year's contest, which kicked off at 4 p.m., attracted an esti- mated 68,000 fans. The Blue- White Game has drawn more than 50,000 fans in seven of the past nine years, including four crowds of 70,000 or more. Among the slate of athletic events for Blue-White Weekend are: women's tennis vs. North- western (Friday at 4:30 p.m.), softball vs. Maryland (Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m.), men's golf hosting the Rutherford Invitational (Satur- day and Sunday), women's tennis vs. Illinois (Sunday at 11 a.m.) and men's lacrosse vs. Johns Hopkins (Sunday at 7 p.m.). Patrick Mansell

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